NEW YORK -- President Donald Trump said North Korea “is looking for trouble” Tuesday, warning China that the U.S. “will solve the problem without them” if China doesn’t pressure the North over its nuclear weapon program.

In a series of tweets Tuesday morning, Mr. Trump said he “explained” to China’s leader that “a trade deal with the U.S. will be far better for them if they solve the North Korean problem!”

I explained to the President of China that a trade deal with the U.S. will be far better for them if they solve the North Korean problem!

Tensions on the peninsula are high as U.S.-South Korea wargames are underway and after North Korea recently launched ballistic missiles. Pyongyang sees the annual maneuvers as a dress rehearsal for invasion, while the North’s missile launches violate U.N. resolutions.

Tillerson on the "dangerous situation" in North Korea

“We will hold the U.S. wholly accountable for the catastrophic consequences to be entailed by its outrageous actions,” a spokesman for its Foreign Ministry was quoted as saying by the state-run Korean Central News Agency late Monday.

“Yes, we will talk about North Korea,” Mr. Trump told the newspaper. “And China has great influence over North Korea. And China will either decide to help us with North Korea, or they won’t. And if they do that will be very good for China, and if they don’t it won’t be good for anyone.”

“If China is not going to solve North Korea, we will,” he said.

Pres. Trump hosts Pres. Xi at Mar-a-Lago

Mr. Trump said trade was the incentive for China to work with the U.S. -- and also said the U.S. could “totally” handle the situation in North Korea without China’s help.

The U.S.-China relationship has been under pressure over trade and North Korea as well as China’s expansion in the South China Sea. As a candidate, Mr. Trump repeatedly blasted China, accusing Beijing of unfair trade practices that he equated to “rape” and “theft,” CBS News correspondent Margaret Brennan reported.